Graduate 'stabbed ex who dumped him'

An Oxford graduate tried to stab his ex-girlfriend to death with a kitchen knife in a busy London park because she had left him for another man, the Old Bailey heard today.

Andrew Thomas, 29, a graduate of Hertford College, Oxford, plunged the steel knife into Rebecca Busfield's back three times as joggers and walkers looked on in horror.

Two weeks earlier Miss Busfield had ended the pair's 10-year relationship but had not told Thomas about her new boyfriend.

Opening the case for attempted murder, prosecutor Nicholas Wood described how in early hours of 15 April last year, Thomas had arrived unannounced at Miss Busfield's home in Balham and found her bed empty.

He allegedly sent a volley of text and voice messages to his ex-girlfriend and her lover, one of which said: "If she doesn't call me now, it will cost a life."

Mr Wood said the pair then agreed to meet for "crisis talks" at Starbucks in Clapham High Street, accompanied by one of Miss Busfield's close girlfriends.

Afterwards, they made their way across Clapham Common where the friend moved away, to give the couple space to talk, at which point Thomas reached into his bag, pulled out the knife and wrestled Miss Busfield to the ground.

Describing the moment her ex attacked, Miss Busfield said: "He said he'd written a poem. He knelt down by the bag. I thought maybe he was going to propose."

Miss Busfield was stabbed three times in the back.

Mr Wood said: "People were grabbing him, getting hold of his clothes, trying to get him to release the knife. One jogger, who tried to prise the knife from his hand, was injured in the scuffle.

"Eventually Miss Busfield's helpers were able to pin Thomas to the ground and alert the police."

When police arrived Thomas is alleged to have said: "I did it. My intention was to kill her and then myself."

In custody, he gave them an envelope containing details of plans to knock Miss Busfield unconscious, load her into the boot of his car and drive off Beachy Head.

Miss Busfield was taken by air ambulance to St George's Hospital in Tooting. She was released the next day.